


Lane 3 [EDITED]

by pynch



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: M/M, based on a great au, little dorks, this is shitty sorry !!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-05 22:52:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4198065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pynch/pseuds/pynch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Welcome to Evan's Everything," Adam greeted. "Let me know if I can help you find somethin'."</p><p>The customer grunted in response.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lane 3 [EDITED]

**Author's Note:**

> thank you [love](dick-iii.tumblr.com) for letting me ruin your beautiful AU idea with my horrible writing!!  
> and a thanks to becca for helpin me out
> 
> based on [this](http://dick-iii.tumblr.com/post/122169395565/supermarket-and-or-dollar-store-cashier-adam-and) post

Like the vast majority of teenagers who came from a low-income family, Adam Parrish wasted his summers away at shitty jobs that only barely paid his tuition for school. Mondays and Wednesdays were spent in a tight-fitting room at a local fast-food joint, Tuesdays and Thursdays he was sweating beneath the hood of a car, and when Adam wasn't suffering from either of those, one could find him standing behind an ancient cash register at a prehistoric store that reeked of mildew and cigarettes.

While summer was most definitely not a vacation for Adam, he didn't entirely hate it. Having three jobs meant he was hardly at home, a reward in itself, and at the store, Adam surprisingly befriended a co-worker named Blue. So maybe summer wasn’t as luxurious for Adam as it was for some of his classmates, but he didn’t entirely hate it. 

Not really, anyway. 

Adam was wiping down the counter when the small bell hanging above the door rang, signaling the first customer since the store opened two hours ago. It was Sunday and Sundays were the slowest.

"Welcome to Evan's Everything," Adam greeted. "Let me know if I can help you find somethin'."

The customer grunted in response. As he walked down the aisle, Adam's eyes followed, taking in everything from his shaved head to the heavy boots on his feet. His entire appearance screamed dark and dangerous, and above all, filthy rich. Adam couldn't help but feel agitated as he watched the boy stomp up and down every aisle, gaze sweeping over the shelves without any real interest.

A couple minutes passed and the customer stood in the same spot. Adam couldn't take it anymore; he released a quiet huff and came around the counter, pausing once he reached the other boy. "Do you need help?"

"No," was the boy's immediate response. "I don't."

Adam didn't buy it. "Are you sure?" he insisted. "Because you've been standing in this exact spot for about five minutes now. I can help you f - Oh. Um."

The tips of Adam's ears burned. He had, for the first time, noticed what aisle they were down and what exactly the customer was looking at: Condoms. Every brand and every size displayed right in front of them. Adam wondered if he could get so lucky as to have one of the giant light beams overhead fall on him.

"Maybe you can help," the customer relented, sounding almost amused. "I'm not sure what size I need. What do you suggest?"

Adam's blush spread and his eyes narrowed. "Just hurry," he ordered, hoping his voice at least hid /some/ of his embarrassment. "I'm locking up for lunch in five minutes whether you're inside or not."

The boy's laughter followed Adam to the counter.

He didn't get paid enough for this.

-

The customer's name was Ronan; Blue overheard one of his friends talking to him at her second job, a pizzeria called Nino’s. He returned to the store nearly every day after the little incident down aisle six. Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends - friends who wore designer jeans and Warby Parker glasses. By this point, Adam knew they had to be Raven Boys, and torturing Adam was their newest hobby. 

"All Raven Boys are the same," Blue was complaining. She was standing on a small stool, stocking the shelves behind the counter. "They think they own all of Henrietta."

Adam snorted. "They probably do," he told her.

"You know what I mean," she said, rolling her eyes. "I still can't believe you're gonna be one of those narcissistic assholes this school year."

Neither could Adam. Sure he worked his ass off for years to earn a spot at Aglionby, but receiving the acceptance letter still felt like a dream he’d soon wake up from. 

"Aglionby isn't a bad school; it just has shitty students."

"Right you are," said a voice from behind Adam. "I don't necessarily agree with the latter part of that statement, but you couldn't be more precise with the beginning."

With a small start, Adam looked over his shoulder and swore inwardly. Standing with his hands clasped on top of the glass counter was none other than Ronan's friend. Adam wasn't sure what his name was; he'd never actually spoken to the boy.

"I overheard you’d be attending Aglionby come this fall?" he continued. His smile was warm and friendly as he reached his hand toward Adam. "You'd make a lovely addition to the school. I'm Richard Gansey, but please - just call me Gansey."

Adam hesitantly shook his hand. Before he had the chance to introduce himself, Blue scoffed from above. She remained on the stool, hands poised on her hips. “It’s considered impolite to eavesdrop, you know.” 

Gansey looked mildly surprised. It seemed as if he was only just realizing Blue was there. “My goodness, you’re very short,” he told her. “I didn’t see you at first.” 

While Adam was sure Gansey didn’t mean any offense, he saw Blue’s lip curl and cheeks redden. Adam hurriedly stepped in. “Yeah, I’ll be there this fall,” he responded. “It was nice to meet you, Gansey. I’m Adam. Um, is there anything I can help you look for while you’re here?” 

Gansey waved his hand dismissively. "I was only curious to see the store Ronan likes so much," he said. "He never lets me come inside with him.

"But," Gansey continued, eyes fixed on Adam. "Now I'm not so sure it's the store he's interested in."

Heat rose in Adam's cheeks as he realised the implications behind Gansey's words. Surely, he couldn’t be talking about Adam - Adam, who had nothing and was nothing; he couldn't have caught the attention of a Raven Boy, especially not that one.

Even as Adam's mind urged him not to believe Gansey, that he had clearly interpreted Ronan’s actions /wrongly/, he knew there had to be some truth to what he was saying. When Ronan came in, he headed down the same aisle, stood in the same spot, and looked at the same items. It was becoming a familiar sight. Adam caught him peeking over the shelves at him a number of times, but never thought anything of it. 

Until now.

"Well. I suppose I'll be going," Gansey said. He watched Adam carefully and smiled once Adam looked back up at him. "See you around, Adam."

After Gansey left, (he paused in the door and glanced over his shoulder to catch a last glimpse of Blue), all Adam wanted to do was drop his head in his hands and groan, but the next customer was waiting.

“Guess you have that to look forward to,” Blue told him. She patted his shoulder and shuffled to her register. 

Adam hoped the day went by quickly.  
-

A week passed and there was still no sign of Ronan. Adam couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with his encounter with Gansey.

"No lover boy again today?" Blue asked. Adam shook his head. "Don't take it personally. I'm sure it sucks having the dude you like know you like him because your friend can't shut up."

Adam merely shrugged. He agreed, but Blue didn’t have to know how much Adam was missing Ronan. If she did, Adam would have to explain, and he wasn’t quite sure himself why Ronan’s absence bothered him so much. 

At half past noon Adam took his break. There were a few customers inside the store, but none that were really buying anything. He decided Blue could hold down the fort for thirty minutes. 

Since his car was a piece of shit and threatened to break down every turn, Adam never bothered wasting gas to eat out. He usually packed a quick snack or bought a chocolate bar at the store on the rare occasion when he could afford to do so. Luckily, it didn’t matter how empty Adam’s pockets were; he wasn’t in the mood to eat anything anyway. All he could think about was Ronan - how Ronan was doing, /what/ he was doing; if he was pissed at Adam for finding out. 

It didn’t make sense that Adam was so worked up over the wellbeing of a boy he’d never properly met. Hell, he was more acquainted with Gansey after ten minutes of talking to him than he was with Ronan. Adam was just being ridiculous, and Gansey was probably wrong; Ronan didn’t like Adam. Why would he? 

With only five minutes remaining on his lunch break, Adam downed the rest of his water and made his way up front. Just as he was turning down an aisle, his shoulder made contact with something large and solid. 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t pa-.” Adam began to apologize, only to stop when he saw who he’d bumped into. 

Ronan finished his sentence. “Paying attention? I noticed.” 

While Ronan was wearing his typical wife beater and expensive jeans, there was something different about him. 

It took Adam a second to realize he was nervous. 

“Uh, right,” Adam mumbled. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Sorry again.” 

Ronan didn’t respond. The silence elapsed between them, so long Adam was beginning to wonder if Ronan was going to say anything at all. 

Finally, after those few painful moments, he did. “Look, I don’t know what the fuck Gansey said to you, but he’s a fucking idiot. He shouldn’t have said a damn thing.” 

Adam stuffed his hands in his pockets. “He didn’t really say anything,” he told Ronan. “Just congratulated me for getting into Aglionby.” 

Ronan snapped his gaze back to Adam. “You’re going to Aglionby?” 

Adam bristled on instinct. He knew what must be running through Ronan’s mind: him? Aglionby? When did our school start accepting just anyone? 

“Yeah, I am,” he responded proudly, chin jutted out. 

Ronan shrugged carelessly. “Figures. You fucking look the nerdy type.” 

Just like that, the tension left Adam’s shoulders. Ronan’s expression wasn’t judgeful; if anything, Ronan looked slightly relieved. For what reason, Adam didn’t know, but talking to him was somehow a lot easier now. 

A ghost of a smile crossed Adam’s face. “You don’t and you’re in Aglionby.” 

“Sometimes.” 

Adam cocked a brow. “Sometimes?”

Ronan didn’t elaborate. He ran a hand over his shaved skull and looked to his left; Adam followed his eyes. Up front was Gansey, legs crossed as he leaned across the counter. Blue stood on the other side and Adam, from all the way in the back, saw how pissed off she looked. 

“Better go before Gansey gets his ass handed to him by that midget,” Ronan said. 

Adam laughed quietly. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” 

Ronan glanced at Adam again. “Good luck at Aglionby, I guess. It’s fucking shit.” 

With that, Ronan turned on his heel and stalked toward the front. Adam watched as he went, chewing on his bottom lip. He couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment, like something _more_ should have happened in that moment. Adam hated feeling that way. 

Before he could talk himself out of it, Adam raced after Ronan and grabbed his arm once he’d caught up. 

“I clock out at six,” Adam told him, ignoring the way his ears burned. “If you’re, uh, up for telling me why Aglionby is so shitty?” 

A look of disbelief crossed Ronan’s face. “There’s not much to tell,” he said. When he noticed the look Adam was wearing, he hastily backtracked. “I mean, never mind, there’s a lot to tell. A fucking lot.” 

The corners of Adam’s mouth twitched upward. He released Ronan’s arm and nodded. “Six then?” 

“Six then,” Ronan repeated. There was a tiny smile on his face, one he did a poor job at hiding. “I’ll get Gansey out of here now. He’s holding up the line.” 

Adam watched Ronan as he grabbed the collar of Gansey’s shirt and dragged him away from Blue. He paused momentarily in the doorway to glance back at Adam, who offered a private smile and a small wave.

Maybe he didn’t hate summer after all.


End file.
